Time went by slowly to the dwarves fo Battlejudge after the battle. A fair number of the citizens grieved for the deaths of Lorbam and Tilesh, as they were cousins or nephews of many. It just seemed like the days dragged on. in truth, before they knew it winter was almost over. A child had made a great bone chain that was swiftly placed in the museum, as were other artifacts, including two left by a marksdwarf who was visiting, killed by an undead wombat as she was not equipped to fight the dead, unlike Zas who dispatched the undead snarling thing with ease. On her corpse were two treasures, a copper high boot of some repute or another, and Weatherplane, a famed crown.

As she was a citizen of the Abbey of Equity, she was given a burial in a mausoleum, and these treasures packed safely away in the museum, behind the safe latches of a display case. And, along with the death of one of their fellow citizens, even if they weren't a resident of Battlejudge, everyone was given a distressing reminder of their mortality by the hollowing of a massive buriel site in the forest, and some 250 diorite coffins commissioned to fill it.

****

"What the hell is your problem Enure!?" Meng said as she shoved the angry dwarf off the mason.

"EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING IS A PROBLEM!!!" She bellowed. Enure was in the throes of a tantrum, and had stabbed Udil in the leg with the hunting sword she and all the other marksdwarves had been issued to polish off downed enemies, since hammers they could use one-handed were in short supply and while non could speak against the quality and accuracy of Talonis' elephant bone crossbows, they just didn't have the heft needed to cause harm. "THERE'S DEAD PEOPLE EVERYWHERE, THERE'S NO COWS, AND NO WINE!!!! WHY IS THERE NO DWARVEN WINE!?"

She carried on while Meng kept her away from the injured mason. Once Udil was rescued (Enure calling him a coward who deserved to die as he was hauled off with a broken knee,) the monk-turned-marksdwarf went on a rampage, attacking a fisherdwarf, knocking over a statue, and mauling a stray cat. In response to this, plans were drawn up - where possible, pedstals of preferred amterials would be made, as would goods of the sort someone liked. Nish was in damage control mode, and had plastered bear parchment posters everywhere for recruits in the Fortress Guard.

Her prayers were answered, as were Vucar's, when migrants arrived from the south in mid spring. Among themw ere decent enough candidates for both the fortress Guard, and dwarves to fill the gaps left in Likot's squad, as well as potentially fill them out. Among them was apeasant who would not answer to anything but, according to his wife, "Dredd." He quickly assumed command of the Fortress Guard, informing that he would prefer his forces be referred to as Judges, since as soldiers and enforcers of order, they would likely have to act as such in dangerous situations.

He and his wife both expressed surprise at the sight of partially prepared rooms, while several other adults in the 16 dwarf group were quickly press-ganged into the militia. This new Captain also proceeded to question people of any past incidents, and proceeded to knock several teeth out of Inod's head for assaulting two people, and ENure's punishment was merely deferred until the prison was ready, out of concern for Dredd accidentally beating er to death, given her lighter armor than Inod.

The humans arrived not long after, in time for Fath's official christening as a Sword Master.

****

"Hey Vucar, what's up?" Onol said absently as she carved a chunk of raw green glass into a rough square shape.

"Nope, just yours. You've been in here four times the past month. Finally decided on a name?"

"Yup. Here." He said, holding out his sword.

Onol looked up from her cutting table. "Right then. Leave it on the end of the table there, I'll see about getting something done with it."

"Thanks Onol. I don't know any of the other craftsdwarves, so..."

"Yeah, yeah, no worries. Go on now."

****

Summer moved along at its own pace, with As the Carpenter and Mafol, one of the Predators, were taken off any labors, to unwind from their alleged stress, as was Enure. The threats of violence, constant cycles of depression, and bouts of emotional terror caused by the battle the past winter were devestating them. However, not all was ill. Another marksdwarf succeeded in creating a valuable treasure, while another article of war was granted the name "Weightedkiss."

There was also hope given by the arrival of Ingish the Mercenary marksdwarf (who quickly had her crossbow yanked out of her hands and replaced with whatever she deemed suitable to fight in mlee with,) who was shunted into Likot's squad.

Lokum was also clamoring for either a place in command, or a place in a squad. That was soemthing for her to speak with her husband about however.

****

A third beast had come, this one the shape of a tortoise. Vucar didn't know what to make of these things, besides corpses. And it seemed the horses that had survived the winter agreed, as one flanked the beast as it swung and missed a foal and was bucked in the spine. Vucar charged in with a roar as the beast flopped to shore after being knocked in, but his heavy overhead swing only resulted in the removal of a limp and useless leg as it rolled away from the stomping mare as it tried to cave in the werebeast's chest. He was quick though. When it lashed out at the horse, he delivered a hard kick to its side, revealing a soft underbelly undefended by a hard skin or shell.

He wasted no time, dodging a clawed hand and sweeping his blade across its chest, the creature making a horrible gurgling roar as his blade became jammed up in the ripped flesh and lung tissue, having slid neatly in between the ribs. Once he pulled it free, he dodged two more strikes and planted the tip of his sword into the ground, kicked the beast in the face, and used his mighty blade as a lever with his body slamming into the ground to lop off its right arm! he quickly rolled away after elbowing it in the head (narrowly avoiding getting his arm chomped on,) and rolled away while the mare kept the beast distracted.

Once up, he brought his sword to bear in a wide arc, and brought it crashing down with a satisfyingly wet "Shluk" sound, the head rolling away harmlessly from the humanoid turtle's body.

****

The militia mustered at the call of terror. Fath and Nidor took a step towards the great abomination, only for Vucar to tell them to stand their ground.

"I got this." He said casually, readying his sword.

"You sure about that Colonel?" Zas said, looking unsure of his leader's intentions.

"Positive. What kind of leader would I be if I didn't deal with these sorts of things myself?"

"A more sane one for starters." Asob said, shaking her head in disapproval. "But... You do you I guess."

"I intend to." the dwarf said with a wave as he marched into the woods towards the sound of an arguing dipshit.

He returned some time later, coated in a thick layer of ettin blood.

****

A monk arrived the morning of 15th Galena. He looked somber, and began asking questions, though not for the usual treasure hunting. He sought Morul Elderrims, and Adil Stonebasement. When he found them, he handed each a letter.

"I'm sorry." He said to them both. "Your kin fell during an assault on the elves."

Neither said much for a day after that information, and the creation of an artifact did little to rouse their spirits.

****

Winter slowly approached the fortress, such as it was in the unpleasant dry heat of this place. Kikrost, one of the new recruits from the fall migration, had came back in following cries for help with two artifacts. He refused to answer on what had happened to the dwarf who had left with them and was heading south, but he mentioned something about a zombie wombat.

There was also the matter of Autz, who created a great work, and two additional citizens being added from the ranks of bards and poets. It was revealed to the leadership that Nish was using these bards essentially as a slower form of population growth. While not as slow as generational growth, it was still a lsuggish process, though now the militia had four new members.

(Didn't get one screenshot like a doof. We have a human named Imimi in the militia now.)

Among them was an elf named Duto, who went to Vucar and demanded a command position after showing her papers.

"You sure about that?" the dwarf said, eying her suspiciously. "You'll be fighting a whole lot of your kin."

"Ah, but you see, I want to be a seen as a great and powerful leader!" She said with a flourish and a sing-songy sort of tone. "And what better way to achieve that than by ingratiating myself with the finest craftsmen in the world?"

Vucar just raised a brow at her. "Aye, so what's the real reason?"

"Not buying it huh? Alright then." She placed her hands on her hips and looked him dead in the eye. "I want to rule the world, and every Empress has to start somewhere. And I'd much prefer to have the people who can oppose me be either instead loyal friends and allies," Her eyes narrowed. "Or dead. And only elves and goblins would be able to live long enough to question me without intervention."

"So you want to kill everyone in three countries who could feasibly live long enough to be contendors to an imperial throne."

"Exactly, Colonel. And what better intervention in the life expectancy of elves and goblins than dwaven steel?"

He mulled it over, the smile on the elf's face being rather... Unsettling. It was confident and full of life, but he could see venom behind her eyes. She quite possibly viewed her own kind as genuine impediments to her own future success. Against his better judgement, he said with a sigh "Fine then. I'll talk to Kaos and Urist about gettig you suited up with a suit of Officer's armor. Any particular weapons?"

"Yes, actually. I'd quite like one of your short swords, and a knife like Sergeant Multi wears on his belt. No shield."

"Well, you're braver than your kin. I'll give you that."

****

The winter continued on, Duto joined by a human woman anmed Sidaya and a dwarf dancer named Sazir. "They respect the pursuit of power" she told the COlonel when she swore them in without his approval. "The human has an innate urge to fight, and the dwarf wishes to be seen as a great warrior. That's good enough."

Asob, Gissep, and Ryukan had to rescue a visiting elf bard from a trio of undead mountain goats, though more out of concern for thier fellow citizens than the elf. The elf was left battered and near dead, with her instrument and book about goblins taken (though the latter was found smeared with goat blood in a bush.)

More barracks were built, facilitating both Inod and Duto's units' proper training and reducing the crowding int he first barracks. Traps made of various human-made weapons and Nish's precious Brush Hooks were put in the door to Multi's barracks going outside after security bars and a new entrance form inside the fortress were equipped. Soap was made, books were written

And then, in mid-spring. It happened.

(Full entourage. Sure. One other person and his wife are totally a full entourage.)

His arrival was less eventful than expected. He had only his wife and the Liaison, Zuglar, with him. He was surprised by the ready-made rooms, and more surprised by the willingness of the engravers (who were bored with the tedium of smoothing the fortress' inner surfaces.) All that was missing was the tomb, which Nish played off. "We weren't expecting you until summer, you eminence." Is what she told him. And a hammerer, as an ardent believer in the rule of law, the king pointed out.

"My lord, might I ask what happened to Queen Rith?" The mayor asked with a bit of concern. "Or General Deepwhip?"

"Dead, both of them. My Mother died a warrior's death at Mansionsprinkle." The King said somberly. "I'm told she took at least two elves with her, which is commendable given her lack of training."

"It was a phyrric victory. A hundred-thirty three dwarves and men against two hundred odd elves." Zuglar added. "But the only one out of 16 separate assaults on the old capitol. Several of which I should say, came over the mountains."

"So what?" The colonel said, the dwarf having been at Nish's back the whole time. "It's logical, if dangerous, to cross Amas' doamin to shorten the trip."

"You misunderstand, Colonel. They came from the east."

Nish and Vucar looked at eachother with grave concern evident in the eyes of both. "What do you mean, 'came from the east?'" THe colonel said once the shock disappated.

"The Sky of Harvesters attacked us out of the blue. As they have no holdings out here, I can only assume they are trying to do for the Elves we've agitated out here that we are for the Confederacy and the Union."

Vucar sighed. So much for properly coordinating the war effort in the heart of the enemy's territory. "Well, who is the new General?"

"I've appointed a dwarf named Tirist to defend the old Capitol for the foreseeable future." The king said. "And I will assume given your equipment and the pendant that you're the Colonel of this fortress militia."

"Aye you highness, that I am."

"Excellent! I saw several of your soldiers on the way in. I'd like to do my mother's memory proper honor and enlist."

Vucar shook his head. "P-Pardon sir?"

"I've something of a fondness for bronze, and my mother did her part in the wars. I'd like to do the same."

"I... Well, we've had need of soldiers. Unfortunately, my unit has no opening, but there are.... Eugh." Vucar rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Sergeant Inod, and Sergeant Duto."

"Duto."

"Yes."

"Is it a human or-"

"She's an elf, yes."

"You put an elf in a position of authority in your militia."

"I know, sir. But she volunteered to lead a unit. And honestly, I would recommend serving with her. Inod's..."

"Unreliable?" Nish offered.

"Emotionally unstable." Vucar said as a counter.

After a bit more discussion, and meeting the sergeants in question, the king chose to join Duto's unit, and proclaimed it his royal guard, much to the chagrin of several of the more veteran soldiers. But at least the king was willing to fight.

----

Hokay. Late on the update. Got drunk last night.

So we got the monarch! More underwhelming entourage than I was expecting honestly. But considering the old capitol got attacked 16 times in two years, ten of them by the same civ crossing over the mountains to get to it, I can forgive that. Got the militia situated with a couple more barracks, built up the fortress a bit more, and expanded the place.

We gained multiple new citizens, and it seems humans in the world have some innate need to fight, so that's good for the militia. We have bunches of bards and such coming due for full citizenship, gained a single merc (And so far only the one,) and steel armor is very slowly being produced for everyone, as I'm buying up as many bars and ores as caravans will bring.

Additionally I had to cheat to recover Lodpos, as I wanted it in the museum and pumps wouldn't have worked, as the pond it sits in is connected to the brook. I also had to run fillneed to reduce everyone's stress for the time being, particularly in relation to "lack of decent meals" and not being able to worship despite there being ample places to do so for those who worship the gods of The Abbey of Equity. Also, Have no idea how or why it keeps happening, but somehow people keep drinking vomit. I've counted at least three cases directly, which includes problem dwarf Mafol and dear Sergeant Multi. THis means there's almost certainly more, leading me to wonder if it's due to vomit in a bucket somewhere.

We've also been saddled with two barons, likely due to previous ones being killed or dying of old age (I have yet to investigate this in legends viewer as to the cause,) and aquired more artifacts from visitors who were incapacitated by the undead.

Interesting bit of... Lore I guess behind our kings as well. The first was killed by a hydra the first five years of wold gen, and the next died the year after in a forgotten beast attack, and one family proceeded to stay in power uninterrupted until 391 where it was supplanted by another dynasty following an heirless queen's death. However, via a different branch of the family, the main dynasty has since reclaimed power. Now we just need to ensure King Uvash is able to sire at least one kid so the dynasty remains in power.

The king, speaking of him, likes bronze, miraculously enough. May put a display case holding a full suit of masterwork bronze armor in his office once the military is fully equipped. Any suggestions for what to equip him with for a weapon? I'm thinking of importing an iron longsword as a badge of office and decorating it with bronze and unicorn bone, or maybe giving him a steel dwarven great sword or great axe (while workable, the great hammers aren't as useful against the elves' mounts.)

Also, art projects planned! A portrait of Sergeant Duto, and that Night Club temple idea you guys put up earlier. May also do that rough draft once Duto earns a title.

I'm very slow at getting around to things, it seems. Haven't been on Bay12 in any serious capacity for probably two years now, got your message, and still didn't get around to reading it for a few weeks.

So has my dwarf's status or job changed at all during this time, or has he mostly been doing his wood burning stuff?

I'm very slow at getting around to things, it seems. Haven't been on Bay12 in any serious capacity for probably two years now, got your message, and still didn't get around to reading it for a few weeks.

So has my dwarf's status or job changed at all during this time, or has he mostly been doing his wood burning stuff?

During his off time yeah. He's been readily beating things to death with a large hammer otherwise.

On the topic of the as-yet unknown motto, perhaps "Fear the Murderhorse"?

Considering most of our horses are dead, I dunno if that's applicable anymore.

Unrelated (at least to this fort) looks like I'll have to settle for a once a week update schedule. I'm already a day behind on my drawing stuff for the week. In the meantime, preparations need to be made for my big big project, specifically in the area of mods.

Specifically looking for armor and weapon ideas as well as how to do research, and how a simplified version of making the advanced gear can go. Additionally I'm not opposed to possible attack interactions or permanent stat upgrades of various combos (in lieu of having to make new castes, as well as allowing these to be used by non-human citizens)

Okay, so been playing the fort some this past day. Had an interesting encounter involving a treasure seeker with a title dropping dead, netting us four new artifacts, and an elf attack. Personally, i think they're spread thing, cause the attack was rather anemic.

We got hit by a totally untrained and unequipped cavalry force, and got two new titled dwarves for it.

EDIT: We also apparently have a new form of tantrum available - "Brawling under the influence" which the game treats, as said, like a tantrum.

If you've paid attention to the casualty roster, we've lost three more people. I have yet to add the invader tally, but suffice to say, considering the situation we actually got off stupendously light because of who spotted the elves, and I found a suitable replacement in the form of a unicorn fisting farmer who shall take up the Flail of Asob and beat unicorns to death with that instead.

Another bump. Kill tally updated, along with two more deaths (one from old age resulted in a zombie dwarf killing someone.)

I've also learned that it's far more efficient, if tedious, to manually assign weapons. Because several incompetents in the militia have multiple skills in weapons because they keep ditching the one they have some more "valuable" ones intended to arm soldiers having to make due with shitty elf salvage. The officer corps is also underequipped because of how equipment assignments are handled if you let the troops handle it themselves with generic orders - Duto for example, has absolutely no armor besides her regular clothing, because all the other units get first pick of all the steel due to being older units, while the king is all nice and armored up because his orders were for generic metal armor.